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King K. Rool

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King K. Rool
Donkey Kong character
King K. Rool in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
First appearanceDonkey Kong Country (1994)
Created byGregg Mayles
Designed bySteve Mayles
Voiced byBenedict Campbell (animated series)

King K. Rool (Japanese: キングクルール, Hepburn: Kingu Kurūru), who has also gone by many other aliases, is a fictional anthropomorphic crocodile and the main antagonist in Nintendo's Donkey Kong video game franchise, as well as the archnemesis of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong. K. Rool is the villainous leader of a group of crocodilian raiders known as the Kremlings, debuting in the 1994 video game Donkey Kong Country. The name "K. Rool" is a play on the word "cruel", a nod to his malevolent nature. He also appeared as a playable character in Super Smash Bros. series, having been a popular request for inclusion. In addition to video games, K. Rool has appeared in Donkey Kong Country animated series and official merchandise.

Appearances

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King K. Rool originally appears in Donkey Kong Country as the main antagonist and final boss, stealing protagonist Donkey Kong's banana hoard along with his minions, the Kremlings.[1][citation needed] He subsequently appears in Donkey Kong Country 2 and Donkey Kong Country 3, assuming the role of the pirate, Kaptain K. Rool and Mad scientist, Baron K. Roolenstein respectively.[2] In 2, he kidnaps Donkey Kong, spurring protagonists Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong to save him,[3] and in 3, he kidnaps Donkey Kong and Diddy, requiring Dixie and Kiddy Kong to save them.[citation needed] In Donkey Kong 64, he pilots a ship armed with a laser to DK Island, intending to blow it up once the laser has enough energy. He kidnaps Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Lanky Kong, and Chunky Kong, requiring Donkey Kong to rescue them and join up to defeat him.[4] In the final battle, he assumes the form of Boxer, King Krusha K. Rool, battling in a boxing ring.[5] Following this game, K. Rool was largely absent from the series for over 20 years outside of minor appearances.[6] Following this absence, K. Rool returned as the true main and final antagonist of Donkey Kong Bananza, which explained his disappearance from the series as the result of being trapped underground while searching for the wish-granting Banandium Root.[7]

K. Rool has multiple playable appearances outside of the Donkey Kong series, including being a playable character in the 2008 baseball game Mario Super Sluggers.[8] In the Super Smash Bros. series, he makes his first playable appearance in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, featuring attacks based on his various appearances.[9]

King K. Rool appears as a main character in the Donkey Kong Country animated series. In most episodes, K. Rool attempts to steal the Crystal Coconut, an ancient relic that is said to possess extraordinary power.[10] He is portrayed by Canadian theater actor Benedict Campbell. In 2023, Campbell reprised his role as K. Rool in the fan-made animation DKC: Return to Krocodile Isle.[11]

Concept and creation

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In his debut appearance, King K. Rool is depicted as a large obese crocodile with a red cape, golden wristbands, a golden belly plate, large crown and a large bloodshot eye.[citation needed] He was designed by Steve Mayles, an artist who worked at Rare and brother of Donkey Kong Country designer Gregg Mayles.[12] Concept art of K. Rool had a more serious design with a military theme and with the name 'Krudd'.[13] When asked what the K in "K. Rool" stands for, Mayles said: "It was just a way of making him seem more important, that he'd added it to inflate his ego", stating that "it could have been something tonal like 'Kremling' or something deliberately out of character, like Keith".[12] Gregg discussed the design of the K. Rool boss fights in Donkey Kong Country and its sequel, stating that he felt he had more time in the sequel to make the fight complex rather than merely difficult, though he also believed that he was able to make the fight "tricky" regardless. He stated that he received comments about how difficult purple gas clouds that reverse the player's movement were, noting that he included them as an homage to the 1984 video game Sabre Wulf.[3]

Reception

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Since his debut in 1994, King K. Rool has received a mostly positive critical reception. New York magazine writer staff believed that K. Rool's appearance in Donkey Kong 64 was among the most difficult in video games, remarking how frustrating it was that the fight was so stacked in favor of K. Rool due to the player being limited and unable to heal like K. Rool could.[5] Author Daryl Baxter considered the boss fight against K. Rool in Donkey Kong Country 2 a memorable one, particularly the first fight against him, stating that it felt like the game had been building up to it since the very first level. He also found the design and graphics of the game, which he identified as being ahead of its time in 1995, improved the battle as well.[3] Astrid Johnson of Game Revolution observed the affinity people have towards K. Rool, describing him as a "daddy" and comparing his online popularity—particularly in queer spaces—to the unconventional romance depicted in Guillermo del Toro's The Shape of Water. Johnson argued that "much like how many villains and antagonists in old movies were queer-coded in an archaic attempt to instill some revulsion in audiences, monsters and creatures are made in the same way."[14]

King K. Rool was a popular suggestion for inclusion in the Super Smash Bros. series as a playable character, including by employees of Playtonic Games, a company formed by ex-Rare employees.[15] His eventual inclusion in Super Smash Bros. was met with fan letters thanking series director Masahiro Sakurai.[16] Polygon writer Daniel Friedman discussed his lasting popularity, stating that unofficial polls held about who should be in Super Smash Bros. found that K. Rool was the most popular choice by a significant margin. Sakurai stated that the official Smash Ballot contributed to him being added.[9]

GamesRadar+ writer Scott McCrae expressed a desire to see King K. Rool added to Donkey Kong Bananza, remarking that while the antagonistic VoidCo group revealed in the game's trailer seemed cool, they didn't stack up well compared to K. Rool. He believed it would be a "perfect cherry on top" of a game he considered his most anticipated of 2025. He acknowledged things he believed suggested that K. Rool would appear, including enemies called Crockoids that resembled his Kremling minions, and the fact that the King K. Rool amiibo was compatible.[6] Hobby Consolas writer José David Muñoz identified a popular theory that the monkey leader of VoidCo, Void Kong, could be King K. Rool, arguing that since Donkey Kong could transform into other animals, so could K. Rool.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hughes, Marley (November 12, 2024). "30 Years Ago, Donkey Kong Country Put the Kong Family on the Map". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  2. ^ Berube, Justin (August 6, 2018). "The 20 Most Deserving Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Newcomers". Nintendo World Report. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Baxter, Daryl (August 30, 2024). 50 Years of Boss Fights. White Owl. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  4. ^ Hughes, Marley (November 10, 2024). "25 Years Ago, This Forgotten Donkey Kong Game Took the N64 by Storm". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Feldman, Brian; Fogel, Stefanie; Hornshaw, Phil; LeBouef, Sarah; Muncy; Read, Max; Rivera, Joshua; Rougeau, Mike; Swearingen; Tremblay, Kaitlin (September 22, 2017). "The 100 Hardest Video-Game Bosses, Ranked". New York. Retrieved September 27, 2017.
  6. ^ a b McCrae, Scott (July 27, 2025). "Donkey Kong Bananza is the perfect time to bring back an AWOL villain, and I'm already uncovering conspiracies that say our favorite crocodile will turn up". GamesRadar+. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
  7. ^ Newell, Adam (Jul 17, 2025). "I cried when this nefarious Rare character returned in Donkey Kong Bananza". Destructoid. Retrieved Jul 17, 2025.
  8. ^ DeRose, Michael (March 9, 2021). "Mario Super Sluggers: The 10 Best Players To Pick". ScreenRant. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  9. ^ a b Friedman, Daniel (January 8, 2019). "Why King K. Rool is dominating Smash fans' attention, and affection". Polygon. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  10. ^ Pearl, Nick (December 7, 2020). "How the Donkey Kong Country Cartoon Introduced a Key Franchise Item". Comic Book Resources. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  11. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (May 10, 2023). "Random: OG Donkey Kong Country TV Series Cast Reunites For Animated Short". Nintendo Life. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Martinez, Phillip (August 10, 2018). "King K. Rool Creators Give Origin Details After 'Super Smash Bros. Ultimate' Reveal". Newsweek. Retrieved August 19, 2018.
  13. ^ Craddock, Ryan (August 13, 2018). "Donkey Kong Country Designer Shows Off Early King K. Rool And Kremling Art Concepts". NintendoLife. Retrieved July 17, 2025.
  14. ^ Johnson, Astrid (August 9, 2018). "Twitter Really Wants to F*ck King K Rool, and so Do I". Game Revolution. Retrieved March 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Multiple sources:
  16. ^ Doolan, Liam (August 26, 2018). "Random: Smash Fans Thank Sakurai For Adding King K. Rool To Ultimate". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 27, 2018.
  17. ^ Muñoz, José David (June 19, 2025). "Donkey Kong Bananza y Nintendo han escondido a su auténtico villano, que sería un viejo conocido, según una nueva teoría fan". Hobby Consolas. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
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